Hashemi Rafsanjani Elected as Head of Tehran City Council

Mohsen Hashemi Rafsanjani, the eldest son of the late Iranian politician Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, was unanimously elected as the head of Tehran’s new City Council.

In an unofficial session on Saturday, all members-elect of the Iranian capital’s city council voted for the presidency of Hashemi Rafsanjani, who was the only candidate for the post.

Morteza Alviri and Ahmad Masjed-Jamei, two other senior members of the Council, earlier withdrew from running for the post in favour of Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Alviri later noted that his withdrawal was a move to increase the unity of the all-reformist Council.

The new City Council, which will start its work on August 23, earlier elected Mohammad-Ali Najafi, a senior reformist and former education and science minister, as the new mayor of Tehran, replacing the conservative Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf.